Page 246 - DMGT408DMGT203_Marketing Management

Unit 10: Integrated Marketing Communications

Managing and Coordinating the Marketing Communication Process Notes

The wide range of communication tools and messages available for reaching the target audience
makes it imperative that they be coordinated. Other wise the messages might be ill timed in
terms of the availability of goods: they may lack consistency or they might not be cost effective.
Left alone, each manager of a communication resource will fight for more budget irrespective of
the relative merits of each tools.

Other Requisite Modes

1. Build trust so you can communicate openly and freely with others
2. Remove barriers to positive communication
3. Communicate non-verbally as well as verbally
4. Develop better relationships through listening

5. Deal with conflict in the work place

Case Study Tata Indica V2 Xeta: Competing in the Indian Small
Car Market

n December 1998, Tata Motors launched the first indigenously developed compact car,
the Indica. For the Indica, although the diesel-engined version continued to ring the
Icash registers, the sales of the petrol variant failed to gather momentum in spite of the
engine having seen refinements since it was commissioned.
Tata Motors strove to improve and refine its product continuously but customer feedback
was not always positive in all respects. The Indica V2 Petrol’s 1.4 litre engine had become
a handicap as it was the biggest in the small car segment. Also, it shared the same block as
its diesel counterpart, making it inherently heavy.

This, analysts said, could possibly be attributed to two factors: Tata Motors’ lack of experience
with petrol cars compared to other small-car manufacturers with established credentials in
this segment, and the fact that the ‘big and powerful’ tag is not necessarily a positive attribute
for a petrol car in the extremely fuel-efficiency conscious small-car segment.

In January 2006 Tata Motors Limited launched the Indica V2 Xeta Petrol (Xeta) car as a
refurbished version of its existing petrol car Indica V2 Petrol MPFI. According to the
company, Xeta was to benefit the customer by better meeting their needs compared to
existing options in the market – specifically by rendering better fuel efficiency at a
competitive price. Indica was an umbrella brand under which Tata Motors had developed
both diesel and petrol cars.
Though the diesel driven Indica was performing well, its petrol counterpart - Indica V2
Petrol MPFI, had not reaped the intended results. Through Xeta, the company intended to
create a unique brand identity in the customer’s mind for the petrol variant of Indica.
Xeta was promoted through various media: television, print, and the Internet. The television
campaign ‘You Gotta Be Dumb’ was conceptualized by FCB Ulka. M G Parameswaran,
Executive Director, FCB Ulka, said, “The creative team looking after Indica had a leap
idea, that not looking at Xeta is like refusing to have a good time with four lovely women.”
Contd...

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